The Neelyville R-IV School District met in an open session Monday evening following an executive session that was held earlier. Several policy action items were approved by the board such as the safe return to in-person instruction and continuity of services plan (SRCSP).
“We have changed this month to comply with the Department of Health and Human Services for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines,” Superintendent Heather Black explained to board members.
Another policy update was the CSIP (Continuous School Improvement Plan) for the school district.
“We gave a survey last fall for community input and that helped guide us,” Black explained. “The plan does incorporate our vision, mission and slogan. This will empower all students to become knowledgeable and productive citizens of society, to purposefully show respect, responsibility, honesty, compassion and preservance in all they do today and in the future.”
Black added that the purpose of the plan was not to be a document that merely sits on a shelf as plans have in past years, but instead to be a living document where the district is addressing it and using it to meet student needs.
Another policy update included the Missouri School Boards’ Association 2023C.
“They all kind of go hand-in-hand together to update our documents to be in compliance with the U.S. Department of Agriculture for participation in federal free and reduced-price lunch programs and other federal school nutrition programs,” Black told board members.
Another policy being updated was the guidelines for school board members.
“The Missouri Constitution still requires all elected officials to have lived in Missouri for one year,” Black said. “But it’s adding that they live in the district they serve for one year as well.”
Another MSBA update addressed school board member ethics.
In other matters, Black informed board members a 2009 passenger van used by the school was reaching the end of its life.
“It has 195,000 miles on it,” Black said. “And it has been breaking down weekly if not twice a week.”
Thus far, the district has been looking for parts for it but Black told board members that another option may need to be considered.
“The van is used often,” she said. “It saves (money) because people are not having to use their personal vehicles. For example, if we have a school nurse follow a trip or something, then she’s able to use the school van to follow the bus. We are also able to take smaller groups in the van versus having to pay a bus driver and take buses on longer trips,” she added.
Board members agreed to put out a bid for a replacement van while the search for replacement parts continues.
“Just because we get bids doesn’t mean we have to jump at that time, but I think it’s a good idea to begin looking for a replacement,” board member Jill McGruder said.
Another item that had been previously tabled was the ongoing mechanical issues with Bus Five.
“Bus Five has been down for quite some time but we need to do something with it,” Black told board members. “We need to make a decision about it. It needs a fuel pump and six injectors.”
Part of the issue is that the repair costs for the bus are budgeted at around $10,000 while the actual value of the bus is only $3,500.
If the district decides to use refurbished parts the repair cost is significantly lower at $3,063, however, most of those parts are currently on backorder and unavailable. The board did not make a decision regarding the immediate repair of Bus Five, deciding to table the item while district employees checked on the availability of refurbished parts for the repair.
Black added that an electric bus is scheduled to be delivered before Christmas and the charging station has already been installed.
“Another bus will be delivered within the first two weeks of November,” she told board members.
One of the last policy updates included resetting the time of the open session of the board meeting to 7 p.m. while the executive session convenes at an earlier time of 6 p.m.
“We just want to make sure that it’s clear with the community that that first hour is the closed session,” Black said.
The final policy change included a board motion to accept the curriculum for an early childhood class which was created via an education grant.
“One classroom will be funded under the grants that I just told you about,” Black said. “But the other two will not, so they will go through us.”